Subzero Hero
by ShunKazamis-Girl
Summary: As Spider-Man, he meets a superhero who has the ability to manipulate snow, frost, and ice. As Peter Parker, he befriends a new student in Midtown High who, despite his boyish charms and mischievous tendencies, looks somewhat familiar...
1. Flashback

_**January 1942**_

_**-Chicago**_**, **_**Illinois**_**, **_**USA-**_

A man weaved his way through the empty streets and alleyways, trying his best not to be caught. The bag of money he stole was hidden futilely under his thin sweater, as he ran briskly. It was cold out here, 0°C/32°F to be exact, but that doesn't mean he would quit robbing the bank he targeted for weeks. He shivered and a stream of breath came out; even though it wasn't that freezing, he wished he would steal warmer clothes, because his sweater, gloves, pants, and mask weren't helping with the chill…

"_Hold it right there_~"

The bank robber stopped dead in his tracks as he heard the voice. It sounded a bit childish, but it was also creepy…

"_I know you_'_re in here_~ _come out_, _come out_, _wherever you are_~"

Part of him wanted to say 'Alright, show yourself!', but if he does that, he'll be noticed by the police. And he doesn't want that happening. But who the hell was speaking to him..? Was it a ghost? Or was his mind playing tricks on him?

He kept running and running, jumping over fences along the way. As he did that, however, the air suddenly grew colder. The temperature dropped, ice started to form, and the man felt his teeth clattering. The bag of money under the sweater felt heavier and heavier, possibly from the stiffening chill, but it can't stay in there for very long. He also noticed that it felt like somebody was watching him..

"_I can see the money you just stole_~"

"Alright, now this is getting- hey…. wait a minute." He trailed off, realizing that someone actually saw him with the money! And he was hiding it! At this, the bank robber ended up dropping the bag on impulse. He didn't want to put it down, but he just can't attack with his hands full. He grabbed a handgun from his pocket and turned around, hoping to shoot somebody.

"_I want to have fun_…. _come on_,_ play with me_~"

Ok, that does it! He adjusted his weapon and shouted, "Freeze! And show yourself or I'll- _**GAH**_**~!**"

He let out a cry of shock as something, or some_one_, covered the weapon in ice. His hand was frozen stiff, with his gun attached, so he couldn't fire it. His body was shaking badly so he couldn't throw a punch or make a kick. Before he could do anything though, he found himself being surrounded by ice, encasing his chest and legs, never escaping…

The next thing he knew, he found himself facing the police, cursing silently under clattered teeth. The bag which originally contained the money was gone, but he was too cold to care. In fact, the ice was so chilly that his skin actually started to turn blue. While being handcuffed by the police and taken to the station, in which he didn't struggle to at that time, all he could think about was finding someplace _warm_, even if it was a prison cell with nothing but a bed. His eyelids felt heavier and heavier, but the policemen didn't notice.

Just before he blacked out though, he could see a darting blue and white figure in the sky, gliding through the air with the freshly fallen snow and wind…


	2. Interruption

**Eugene: **Ok, now that we're switching to the current time, I'm setting this somewhere after episodes 47 and 48; they did take place at around Halloween so it's only fair to have it take place in November, as it'll be closer to winter as the story goes on (and for a very good reason). Ugh, it's not easy to Spider-Man… or Nova. XP Got any tips for writing them? Or the rest of the team?

* * *

**Present Day**

_**November 2013**_

-_**Manhattan**_, _**New York City**_**, **_**New York**_**, **_**USA**_-

Spider-Man was swinging from building to building with his webbing, focusing on the bank robber running in the streets below. The robber wore a long trench coat over a wooly black turtleneck and tattered jeans with colourful patches that covered one knee. A white ski mask with holes was the only thing covering his face and he was too occupied with securing the flour sack full of money in his hands. He ran away as fast as he could, but his flimsy flip-flops created little speed for his running.

The poorly-dressed bank robber was oblivious to the surroundings around him, preferring to focus on making his way to the hiding spot where he last hid the goods he stole earlier. He had to climb over fences, jump over boxes, and dodge the litter lying around, but it was worth it. If he could just make it through without being caught, then he'll be lying around in his newfound wealth.

Meanwhile, the masked vigilante was spying on the man's actions by the rooftop, hoping to web him from above and hold him off until the police shows up. He patiently waited for any sudden halt of movement from his target and removed the camouflage of his web shooter and started to adjust the angle of his shot. His fingers inched to start triggering it, anticipating the webbing that will trap the robber in minutes. He slowly counted from three in his mind.

_Three_…

…..

_Two_…

…...

_One_-

"WEBBBBBBBB-HEAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDD!"

Unfortunately, _that_ caused Spider-Man to accidently squirt out a pitiful glob of web fluid, which flatly landed on the concrete floor. The sudden loudness of the yell also made the bank robber look up to find Spider-Man trying to reset his web shooters, gasping at his presence before swiftly running away with his money while panicking his butt off.

Peter slowly looked at the corner of his eye to find that Nova was hovering above him, silently laughing with mirth. He glared under his mask, irritated at the interruption his teammate created. "What do you want, Bucket-head?"

"Aww, don't be like that!" Nova teased. "There's other low-leveled baddies swimming in the sea, but none of 'em are worthy enough for you~"

Spider-Man raised a hidden eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" He questioned, oblivious to what the human rocket was implying.

Nova sighed before pointing at the swirling winds wrecking havoc in the streets not far from where the two heroes were in. "Whirlwind's destroying the place! We gotta stop him, Bug Breath!

The vigilante's eyes started to grow wide as he spied the said person responsible for the destructive tornado. Cars, garbage, lampposts, and signs were sucked into the windy walls and were spinning around and around, creating a barrier made of scrap metal. He didn't see White Tiger, Power Man, or Iron Fist anywhere, but he suspected that they must be near the eye of the storm.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Spider-Man was about to take off and to follow Nova, regretting to not catch his target sooner, when a devious plan suddenly formulated in his head.

"_Maybe just a quick shot_…"

He could see the bank robber dashing into the same area from earlier, easily distinguishing him from his horrible attire. With clean precision, he shot a few webs at the urban thief's ankles and legs, forcing him to fall back-first into the hard concrete and pinning him there in a starfish position. The flour sack of money was separated from the robber, just lying there, but it was also secured with a few strands of webbing, proclaiming it as untouchable territory.

Spider-Man smirked. "_Perfect_. _And just till I_'_m done with Whirlwind_." And he swung over to the same direction Nova was flying, where his other formidable opponent was waiting for him down below….


	3. The Ice Tornado

**Eugene: **OMG, you have no idea how long this took me! Seriously, I keep getting an idea, then scrapped it, and I have to start over again. Urgh….. I'm not good with fight scenes so this is the best I can come up with right now.. I should try to write more in later chapters though; after all, I'll need more practice. I hope this chapter's worth it though!

* * *

It took a while for the two heroes to make it to the scene of crime whilst chasing that runaway tornado and his owner (no thanks to Nova's egotistical rants, which, to the red and blue webslinger, was distracting). But halfway through the chase, their targets vanished off somewhere, which was unusual. The winds would vanish and there was little damage as a result (though the excess metal littered the roads). So they had to navigate through other streets to find him. It didn't take them very long, for they spotted something unusual taking place in an area not far from the Empire State Building.

In that street was a sea full of twisting winds, the twirling of small hurricanes taking place in the roads and sidewalks. But the weird thing was, they covered the entire surface, save for most of the buildings and some signs, as if they were humongous flowers. They spun like pinwheels and the surface area looked opaque and fluffy as cotton candy. None of them destroyed whatever's in their way, unlike the scraps of the earlier storm, but… it doesn't seem like Whirlwind or the rest of the team were around either. In fact, the winds were so thick that you could barely see anything, not even a single person.

"Woah! What just happened over there?" Spider-Man could not believe this unexpected phenomenon; normally, Whirlwind's winds were more destructive. And had tornadoes. He sent a suspicious look at his teammate.

"I don't know! It wasn't like that earlier!" Nova exclaimed with his hands up in defence, trying to prove he's innocent. Then he scanned the area full of hurricanes, only to realize, "I can't see the team anywhere!"

"You think this is a trap?"

"Beats me," The human rocket shrugged. "But we gotta go find them! Come on!" He flew over to where the hurricanes were spinning, with Spider-Man swinging close by.

Plunging themselves in the hurricane-covered streets, they can't help but to gape in surprise as they realized that the destruction was taking place _inside_. Instead of the calm, twirling field of wind they saw before, the hurricanes were becoming more of a chaotic orchestra, creating havoc with every contact they initiated. Vehicles were picked up and swirled around, people were scrambling around with their wind-tousled hair, and trees were close to being uprooted, with the last of their colourful leaves trailing behind. Chunks of asphalt and concrete were ripped like paper and bits of garbage were carelessly flying all over the place, making the atmosphere unbearable to move around, let alone breathe. The only unaffected areas of the wind-torn streets were the small spots that seem to move around from place to place, the whitish light from the sun filtering from the eyes of those hurricanes.

Being inside all those hurricanes felt like walking into the dryer, the spin cycle threatening to pull down their weight. At this rate, the winds would be strong enough to carry the two heroes like wet laundry. Nova had to stop flying and stick to walking while Spider-Man did his best to dodge random items whilst securing the cars with his webs.

"Man, this place is blowing me away!" Was the first thing the vigilante commented before a hamburger wrapper almost blinded him in the face.

Despite how horrible that pun was, Nova had to agree. "You're telling me! How is Whirlwind able to _do _all this?!"

Now that his teammate thought about it, Spider-Man recalled the last battle he had with Whirlwind. When he fought the mutant, he just sent a couple tornadoes to tear apart one of the streets of Manhattan, and the webslinger ended up inside one of them. But since when was Whirlwind powerful enough to create not one, but many hurricanes? Didn't Fury mention earlier that he could only make small ones? Maybe he grew powerful during his arrest or something…

His thoughts were interrupted by his spider-senses tingling. Something must be flying towards him…..

"OOF! SWEET CHRISTMAS!"

"…Power Man?"

Said superhero looked up at the sound of his friend's voice and had to grab onto his arm to keep himself from flying off. "Yo, what took ya so long?"

Spider-Man just shrugged, not wanting to mention the reason why at this situation. "Didn't you just face off Whirlwind earlier?"

"Yeah, have been trying to follow him, but I lost track of him." Power Man replied, tightening his fists as he stood his ground, scanning the area to find his target somewhere in the windy blast.

"You too?! We saw him earlier but he got away!" Nova exclaimed out loud despite the howling winds. His movement grew awkward the longer he struggled to walk and the harsh whistling of the hurricanes made it a bit hard to hear anything.

"Do you think he could be-" His sentence was cut short by his spider-senses tingling again, this time like crazy. "LOOK OUT! Whirlwind's coming!"

Sure enough, Spider-Man was right. A swift, slender tornado shot out somewhere and a loud cry of "I GOT YOU NOW, SPIDER!" got the trio's attention. A whirring blade-clad arm shot out and tried to punch the red-and-blue vigilante, but Power Man rushed forward and grabbed hold of the large calloused fist in the way and keeping it immobile.

All the hurricanes dispersed and the debris ceased their flying and landed messily on the ground. People who were once stuck in the storm flew out of the scene as fast as their legs could carry. And there in all his glory was Whirlwind, who was furious at the tight grip Power Man enforced in his hand. Using the one that was not restrained, he used the other arm to swing the blade at the muscular arms that were holding him down.

Luckily for Power Man, one of his muscular arms didn't get cut, thanks to his impenetrable skin, but it sliced through a portion of his costume and the blade was so sharp that he jolted and accidently loosened his grip. The arm that was caught ended up loose now.

"Ha! Not so tough now, huh?!" Whirlwind taunted as he began to strike the guy again when a glowing yellow fist punched him in the helmet-covered face, sending him flying in mid-air with his personal tornado trailing behind him.

Power Man looked up to see Iron Fist, who was in front of him with his stance poised and ready to defend. Despite the earlier situation, he was actually pleased to see his best friend. "Thanks for saving my butt, man."

Iron Fist looked over and managed to do a small smile. He managed to say, "You're welcome, my friend.", before running off to where the mutant was heading. Then he yelled, "Tiger, he's heading your way!"

As if on cue, White Tiger sprang out and did a spinning kick at Whirlwind's direction. As the force of the kick pulled the mutant backwards onto the ground, Nova flew over to grab him by the shoulders, sending him to the air again. "I got him!" He called out, bright blue lines from the Nova Force trailing behind him.

He spun the bad guy's heavy body around and around, but Whirlwind grabbed one of his wrists and struck the human rocket's cheek with the rotating blade. A small cut grazed the targeted skin.

"Ouch! What the heck-" With Nova flinching at the pain, the mutant sought this as a chance to push the intruder away. Twisting himself furiously like a corkscrew, another tornado formed around Whirlwind's body and threw Nova as if he was a doll.

He ended up screaming like a little girl when being thrown like this. Luckily for the Nova Corps member, he landed safely in a vast sheet of webbing. It was thin yet sturdy enough to hold him down, bouncing softly like a trampoline. It must've been Spidey's work, for said hero and the rest of the team grabbed his hand and they quickly led him to where Whirlwind now stood with the tornado covering his body.

"If you think you punks are gonna beat me, you're wrong!" He said rather arrogantly. His arms with the spinning blades were poised as if he was ready to strike anytime. "Because I'm-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, a flurry of crystallized ice suddenly appeared and flowed itself around Whirlwind before sucking itself into his tornado.

…

…Wait, what?

_ICE_?!

The team stood there, astonished as they watched the ice trail swirling upwards to the top, where Whirlwind started to panic as he desperately tried to stop spinning. But the ice was faster, some of it dissolving into what looked like shaved ice, while the rest started to cling itself onto Whirlwind's hips, weighing him down to the ground. Faster and faster, the ice went, it then either trailed downwards to his legs or crawled up to the low parts of his body.

Seeking this as an opportunity to finish off Whirlwind, Spider-Man commanded, "Guys, now's our chance! Get him!"

A huge leap launched the team into automatic fight mode, unleashing whatever move they desired to defeat him. Power Man swung a powerful uppercut, Iron Fist delivered a chi-fueled punch, Nova sent out a swift flying kick in the air, White Tiger lashed out with her claws, and as for Spider-Man, well, he shot a strand on webbing at Whirlwind's helmet and pulled it off, revealing his currently-blue face (from the cold, mind you) before bashing the cranium with it.

Because of the increasingly heavy pressure the ice gave out, the mutant felt his body going numb and stiff from the cold, but combining that with the painful attacks, it caused him to quickly drop face-first onto the concrete road. A loud groan escaped his mouth, but that was all he did before he passed out. While he stayed unconscious that way, the ice encasing his lower body and surrounding his now-vanishing tornado dissolved into tiny streams of water, evaporating in the weak sunlight.

"Um, not that I'm complaining, but where did the ice come from?" White Tiger was the first to break the awkward silence that came after the brief fight.

"Beats me; unless a flying ice-cream truck did this, we don't know what caused it." Shrugged Power Man.

Iron Fist nodded in agreement. "What happened to him will remain unseen." He said. The rest just watched the passed-out mutant in silence, unsure of what to do with him.

They would've stayed longer to see if Whirlwind's not planning to attack again, but the piercing sirens from the police cars told them otherwise. Just when the team was about to leave though, Spider-Man caught a quick glimpse of something… or some_body_ strange..

If he could remember correctly, there was a figure with pale bluish-white skin wearing nothing but silvery-white undies. It was floating in the air, examining the damage in the street, but then swiftly darted away.

The masked vigilante stood there for a moment, trying to process what he just saw, but then he realized that he still had to catch up with the team, so he had to go.

Still, he can't help but to feel a strange chill in his body….


	4. Midtown High's Newest Student

It had been a day since the 'icy-tornado incident', as Peter dubbed it. He and the others were still not sure how the heck that happened, but at least it saved them some time to kick Whirlwind's butt. They decided not to discuss this to Nick Fury… yet. Besides, it wasn't too serious so how bad could it be?

Right now, he was in Midtown High, listening as attentively as he could when his history teacher taught the class about the War of 1812. He had never heard of this event before, as it was mostly recognized in Canada, but apparently, they were in war with America due to issues involving trade and territories… sadly, it was actually part of a plan from England to prevent it from trading with France (due to a war between those countries). Peter didn't know all of this at first, but hey; the more you know. He was trying to sort through all the main points that led to Canada's independence when the classroom door creaked open.

The entire class went silent at the sudden intrusion and there was a small tuft of brown hair sticking out of the doorway. The teacher even stopped his teaching to find the unexpected visitor peeking at the classroom.

"One moment," He said to his students before heading to the hallway. The door was closed just a little bit and voices were hushed so nobody could hear what was going on. Then the teacher came out returning to his spot.

"Class, sorry for the intrusion but we have a new student who will be joining us so please be nice to him." The history teacher told the class before turning his direction towards the slightly opened door. "Come on, don't be shy; say hello to your new classmates." He reassured the newcomer outside the classroom. Peter was cautious, but at the same, curious of whom the visitor might be; the last time he'd met new students were Sam, Luke, Ava, and Danny (at least he thought so). And they were his teammates!

A teenage boy made his way into the classroom and turned to face everyone in their desks. He was wearing a blue elbow-length zip-up hoodie with intricate white details around the hood, the collar, and the pockets, as well as the edge of sleeves. He also had on brown skinny jeans, white and neon-blue sneakers, and a plain white t-shirt under the hoodie. He seemed to be in awe of everything around him and he looked nervous when facing the teacher. But when he faced the students, however, he smiled a bright, charming smile, confidence gracing his pale features and playfulness danced in his bright blue eyes.

"Hi everyone, my name's Jack Overland." He did a short yet polite bow as he said his name. "This is my first time here in this school so I hope we'll be friends." There was a hint of a smirk on his lips, but otherwise, he actually seemed very nice when he spoke.

Peter watched the reactions of his classmates taking place; normally they would treat new students very little and go like…. _meh_. But he was genuinely surprised at how they really reacted; many of them watched Jack with great interest, their faces contorting many expressions from shocking awe to hopelessly dreamy. This kind of behavior was usually reserved for the cute/hot girls or cool-looking/sexy boys, but he wasn't sure about Jack's case…

"Can I sit here?"

A voice jolted him from his thoughts. Peter looked up to see Jack now standing right beside him, pointing to an empty desk on his right. The new student was observing him curiously, his messy dark brown hair glinting with slivers of mocha, cocoa, and cappuccino brown under the classroom lights as he peered closer. In the background, Peter could hear many students calling out 'Sit in this desk! Sit in this desk!' in Jack's direction, desperately trying to get his attention.

"Um, sure?" Peter said hesitantly; he never got a new kid sit with him in class before, so this was pretty rare. But then again, he should be nice to Jack so it was the least he could do.

At this answer, Jack grinned widely and sat right next to Peter, hanging up his black and cobalt blue one-shoulder backpack by the chair. Peter wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but he could feel many, many eyes glaring at him with jealousy. Creepy.

The teacher continued off from where he left, chattering on and on about the bloody political war between the Americans and the Canadians. Peter continued to listen on, but can't help but to think that having this new guy around will be…. interesting?

…

Yeah, let's just go with that.

* * *

**Eugene: **I know what you're thinking; you might be wondering "Why isn't Jack wearing his hoodie?". There's a reason why I didn't make him wear it in this chapter and I'll have to explain it sometime later in the story. However, you'll notice that he'll wear different outfits since I'll come up with most of them while the rest will be inspired by a few artists in deviantArt (maybe I should put up a list of credits somewhere, hmm...).

Also, Jack's outfit in this chapter is inspired by the pic "Jack frost in hiphop style" by zeneria29. Please check out her work!


	5. I Scream for Ice-Cream

"Hey! Have you heard? There's a new kid here in Midtown!"

"What?! No way!"

"He's like, so~ hot!"

"I know, right?!"

"You saw him?"

"Uh….. no?"

"You idiot! You share the same _class _with him! How could you _not_ see him?"

"Well, I- my eyes are still tired from last night, ok?!"

"Ugh, whatever…"

Peter overheard bits and pieces of those conversations while stowing his textbooks away in his locker. Word spread about Jack attending Midtown High and he already gained this much attention. This was like, way more than the kind Sam, Luke, Ava, and Danny would've gotten when _they _arrived. Unless if he counted a few moments when a couple girls somehow had a crush on _Danny_. Him! Him of all people! Not that it's a bad thing but…

_**Chibi fangirls are crowding around chibi**_**!**_**Danny**_**, **_**despite his obliviousness. Jack**_**, **_**on the other hand**_**, **_**ends up with A LOT of girls crushing on him**_**, **_**smirking as he got carried away in their arms…. chibi**_**!**_**Peter ends up forever alone.**_

His brooding was suddenly interrupted by a swift poke on his shoulder. Peter almost jumped in surprise, his hairs bristling up like a cat, but then turned around to see Jack, who was doing his best to hide his smirk.

"Oh my gosh! You should've seen your face! It's hilarious!" The pale-skinned teen found himself rolling on the floor, laughter bubbling from his lips. Peter rolled his eyes; sure, Sam did the similar thing earlier yesterday (as Nova), but Jack…. he actually seemed more mischievous than that. He could tell from the extra mirth.

"Whatever." Was all Peter could say. "And you're here because….? He raised an eyebrow.

Jack finally stop laughing and stood up, his pale hands reaching for something inside his bag. He took out what looked like a rectangular-shaped box wrapped in a cloth with blue and purple stars. "Want to share my lunch with me?"

At the sound of those words, Peter's stomach grumbled; he didn't have time to eat breakfast because he was late, somebody stole his lunch while he wasn't looking (probably Flash), _and _he didn't even bring enough money to buy a granola bar or a bag of chips. He would've also gone to the cafeteria, probably to hang out with his friends, but he felt really hungry…. besides, saying no to Jack would be impolite.

"Ok, just lead the way then." He finally decided, gesturing to the new student to find a place to eat.

Jack, with his wrapped lunch box in hand, led Peter to a empty spot in the hallway. It was close to one of the doors in the school and the heater was nearby, so it felt warm and cozy.

As the two sat down on the floor, crosslegged, Jack untied the cloth and opened the lid. Peter peered inside to find... ice-cream sandwiches?

Yes, those were ice-cream sandwiches. The kind you would eat in the summer. There were different kinds of cookies, from chocolate chip to shortbread, lovingly carrying colourful layers of ice-cream. From vanilla to strawberry, from lemon sherbet to cookies and cream, from green tea to creme brulee, and everything in between, he's got like, every flavour in there. They were still cold, despite the warmth of the heater, and they looked delicious..

"You eat ice-cream sandwiches..._ for lunch_?" Peter can't help but to say out loud. He never saw a person eating them as the main course before... especially close to winter.

Jack scoffed. "Well, yeah. If people could eat ice-cream in winter, then why can't I?" He retorted. He grabbed one with orange creamsicle ice-cream and bit on it as if it was a normal sandwich. "It's good, try it." He added as he swallowed.

Peter examined the contents of the lunchbox and selected one with rainbow-coloured sugar cookies and vanilla ice-cream. He ate the entire thing and was genuinely surprised at how tasty it was, the creaminess of the cold substance combined with the soft and crumbly texture of the cookies. It tasted wayyy better than a bag of chips any day. He could sense his angel self singing heavenly now.

"Wow, Jack; this is delicious!" He said to his fellow classmate before eating another one. He quietly moaned at the chilly yet pleasant taste in his mouth. Jack smiled at this before continuing to eat.

* * *

"PEEEEETTTTTEEEEEERRRRRRRR!"

Sam huffed as he heard no response. "_Surrreee_, _send me to find the webhead. Just because Ava_'_s too busy with her book and Luke and Danny were too busy talking about... stuff._" He thought grumpily as his feet shuffled in the hallway. Peter was supposed to sit with him and the team but he didn't show up. He was thinking about all this when he spotted a box surrounded by a piece of cloth with stars on it. He expected something typical for all high school students, like sandwiches, sushi, or microwavable pasta, but he spied a couple ice-cream sandwiches. Cold, creamy, soft ice-cream sandwiches….

"_OH MY GOD. MUST. EAT. ICE_-_CREAMMM SANDWICHESSSSSS_!" His mind screamed as it raced in hyperdrive. He ran over to the icy treats, his cravings taking over. His mouth was watering and even though he ate lunch already, he found himself wanting to eat more. Maybe if he'll just have a taste….

Suddenly, the floor felt slippery and his foot slipped, causing him to fall down and land on his butt. Hard.

"Owwwww." Sam groaned from the impact. His head was dizzy and everything was spinning. It didn't help that the hallway lights glared at him.

At the sound of Sam's moaning, Peter and Jack looked up from their lunch curiously at the teen lying on the floor.

"Sam," Peter sighed. "What are you doing?"

"Ice-creamm, must wanttt." Was all Sam could gurgle out before going unconscious. Peter could've just ignored him for a bit and finish the ice-cream sandwich he was eating, but he spotted something damp on the floor. It gleamed dully and some of it soaked Sam's sweater. But what was it? A patch of ice? Water?

But then, as if he was reading the scientific teenager's mind, Jack managed to say, "He shouldn't walk on wet floors. He could've been hurt.", before licking the melted ice-cream off his fingers.

Peter didn't say anything, but he didn't expect something like this to happen…


	6. A Glimpse of Blue, White, and Beyond

The rest of the school day went pretty decent, Peter noted. After the delicious lunch Jack shared with him, it turned out that the new kid's not only in his History and English class, but also in Gym, so at least it was more tolerable. He was swift and quick, a handy thing for team skills. He knew this because while the class was playing Doctor Dodgeball, Jack was able to dodge all those balls thrown at him and beat the other team whilst 'healing' his team members, which was something most 'doctors' can't do. Sure, he doesn't have the TARDIS, but damn! He's a good doctor.

Anyway, Peter was changing back into his normal clothing (with his red and blue uniform underneath, mind you) when he noticed that the soles of his sneakers were starting to have holes on them while the rest of it was worn-out over the years. He sighed; those were good sneakers, but they were beaten-up. He made a mental note to buy new shoes, or at the very least, wear his other ones for the time being. He remembered having the black and white Adidas sneakers lying around somewhere.. ooh, maybe he could even wear those Captain America Converse! He still gotta remember to switch to winter boots though, since it's getting closer to winter, and he had a feeling that it might snow at some point…

"Dude, I think my eyesight's gettin' bad already."

"Huh, what makes you say that?"

"Because every time I look at the new kid, my eyes hurt and he looks all blurry."

"SAY WHA-?! But you got like, 20/20 vision!"

"Yeah, and _we_ could see _him _clearly."

"Wait… I think my vision's also getting worse; I keep seeing blue and white blurs all day today yet I'm still wearing glasses!"

"Dude! Not you, too!"

"Are you _sure _it wasn't from seeing Jack at Doctor Dodgeball?"

"Yeah, I'm sure of it! Geez, you guys are nuts…"

Peter overheard most of the conversation and wondered what that was about, but he figured he should just leave it alone; besides, they were probably envious of Jack's dodgeball skills or something. He continued to stow his gym clothes away.

After that was done, he stepped out of the school building and back into the streets of Manhattan. Now that school was over, he could just fight as many street baddies as he wanted. It was one of those days that didn't involve S.H.I.E.L.D training or being stuck with his team. As much as he liked to work alongside them, he missed those moments when he could stop crime alone and-

"HEY YOU! GIVE ME BACK MY BAG!"

A young man, possibly a few years older than Peter, rushed into the scene, chasing a group of robbers who were clutching a gray messenger bag, passing it to each other like a hot potato as they ran. The strands of his light brown hair were plastered with sweat onto his forehead and his stormy-blue eyes were weary yet sparked with determination. He panted very hard as he attempted to chase the culprits, but he accidently stepped on the laces of his combat boots and tripped, collapsing in exhaustion. One robber, who appeared to be female, yelled out "LOOOSER!" and gave him the middle finger before she disappeared with her companions.

At the sight of what just happened, Peter immediately headed over to the nearest alley, switching from his civilian clothing to his costume. Cotton and denim were replaced by red and blue spandex, with a spider in the center. And into the streets came your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!

The vigilante swung over to the direction the robbers took, eyeing every nook and cranny of their possible location. Left, right, dodging that one fence and ducking under laundry lines, the directions he theorized from below led him to an abandoned store. It was dim, but there was enough light from outside to see everything. While there was little space for a decent business, it seemed to be in a well-kept condition, meaning that somebody must've tried to renovate the place before somebody could rent it. All it needed was a nice coat of paint and-

His spider-senses were ringing and the familiar sounds of bullets whizzed after him. They pierced the walls, made messes in the once-clean floor, and broke the glass window. Spider-Man dodged them the best he could, before crouching to the corner of the ceiling. The robbers that stole the guy's bag carried around various guns, all aimed at the webcrawler with furious looks.

"Oh no, you've got guns! That's my weak spot….." He drawled out sarcastically but then let out a snicker. "Not!" Then he shot a web at one of the robbers' face, temporarily blinding him before being K.O'ed with a punch by Spidey.

The other robbers stared at the sight of their unconscious friend before looking at their enemy in terror.

"See, that's what you get for stealing that guy's bag." Spider-Man commented as he pointed at the messenger bag in their possession. "Mess around with people like him, you'll end up messing with people like me." He continued as he pointed to himself. Then he let out strands of webbing that carried two of them dangerously close to the ceiling before leaping forward and giving them a fierce uppercut. They fell down in the cold linoleum floor and Spider-Man landed alongside them with grace.

"And~ step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Don't be shy, just come over and try to beat the Ultimate Spider-Man! Winner doesn't get a prize!" He joked at the three remaining members of the group, converting his voice into that of a man in charge of carnival games. The mask hid the smirk directed at those who didn't dare move.

The other robbers, two petite women and a tall burly man, looked at each other for a moment, then at the webcrawler, uncertain of what to do. The female ones were in the middle of thinking up a plan when their older companion let out a battle cry and charged at Spider-Man, tossing his gun away.

"No, you idiot! We need to-" One of the women started to call out, but her jaw dropped as she saw the tough robber getting dizzy due to the many flips and twists the acrobat performed before delivering a roundhouse kick, leaving him stone cold. Her remaining companion, the one currently holding the bag, held onto it possessively as she shook in fear.

"…Can we run away now?"

"Y-Yes…" The women started to edge their way out of the entire scene, but were caught off guard by a sudden tug.

"Nuh-uh, ladies~ you still owe me something." Spider-Man waved a finger at them, scolding them mockingly. They puffed their cheeks in annoyance.

"..We're gonna get covered up in webs, are we?" One of the women sighed in frustration.

Spider-Man just smirked and did his thing.

* * *

After he webbed up the robbers he just fought, he retrieved the bag from the female robber's hands and left them to the police. Swinging his way to the location where he last saw the unconscious guy, Spider-Man wondered if he was still tired or sent to the hospital. After all, he probably broke up a sweat from trying to get his bag back.

But luckily for the webslinger, the owner of the messenger bag was just starting to get up. He wobbled after a few steps, but maintained his balance quickly. He then realized why he was in the sidewalk and nervously looked around for his possession.

Spider-Man came down in front of the man and held out the bag. "I believe this is yours." He said, approaching the young man.

He swiftly turned around to find his precious bag waiting right in front of him. His eyes lit up. "My bag! You're finally safe!" He quickly held it close to his chest, hugging it as it was his only source of comfort. Tempest-blue orbs met wide white lenses and he staggered back. He almost dropped the messenger bag in surprise.

"Bl-Bl-Bloody hell! You're Spider-Man!" He gaped in a mixture of shock and awe, his finger shaking as he pointed at said vigilante. Spider-Man can't help but to notice that the guy had a British accent weaving through every sound and syllable he spoke, even if he tried to sound American. The man did his best to get rid of every speck of dust that clung onto his black leather jacket, his cream-coloured sweater, smokey-gray skinny jeans, and the blue plaid scarf around his neck. He even did his best to tie the laces of his black combat boots and rearrange his short brown hair. When he faced the webcrawler again, he tried to look smooth and sophisticated, but his inner fanboy was showing through.

"I'm Joe, it's really nice to meet you; I'm a huge fan." The man shook Spider-Man's hand as he introduced himself with a wide smile on his face. He displayed a small pin with a silver spider glinting on his scarf as proof, remarkably similar to the one on the hero's costume.

"Ohh, so you're a fan of your friendly neighborhood me." Spider-Man chuckled as he returned the handshake. "You around here?"

"Ah, no, I actually came from the United Kingdom," Joe explained sheepishly. "I'm attending college there but right now, I'm visiting New York for a holiday. It's a really enjoyable place. I was about to go over to Times Square to take some pictures when those gits took my bag. Had to chase them down for hours before I passed out." He gritted his teeth at the mention of the robbers. "I'm just glad that it wasn't damaged."

"Yeah… hey, what's inside the bag anyway? I mean, not that I'm curious but.." The red-and-blue hero questioned.

As a response to his idol's question, Joe opened the flap of his messenger bag, which had pins decorated on it, and dug for its contents. Spider-Man could see one of the Beatles, another pin looking like Captain America's shield, one of the TARDIS and the 10th Doctor, a flashy one with the Union Jack…. The British college student finally revealed what was inside; a brand new Canon camera, with a polished exterior and no damage whatsoever.

"It's my new camera; I've been getting into a photography kick lately." Joe responded rather proudly, and then started to brighten up as an idea popped out. "Hey Spidey, can I take a picture of you?" He asked Spider-Man hopefully.

"A-A picture… of me? Well, that would be-" Before Spider-Man could even think of a reply, sincere or witty, something zipped into the sky in the blink of an eye, causing him to blink in confusion. "Hey, did you see that?"

"See what?" The Brit was puzzled at the vigilante's question. Spider-Man furrowed his hidden brow; how could he not see it? But wait! Here it is again! A spot of icy blue and cloud white was circling them as if it was teasing them. The webslinger squinted at it the best he could while Joe's eyes grew wide as the arc reactor. They watched… whatever it was with curiosity. Was it that thing the guys talked about in school just moments earlier? A sound tinkled like bells and merry laughter in the wind and it flew off again.

Spider-Man wasn't sure what the thing was, but he just had to follow it….

"Uhh, I'm gonna have to swing off to somewhere…. you're gonna have to wait though." The red-and-blue hero shot out a string of web at a nearby building and started to swing away.

"But I-"

"Say it ain't so, Joe!" Spidey called out before disappearing. Joe was speechless, but then pouted at the usage of his name in the pun. Still, he waved a small goodbye, wondering if his favourite hero saw it before he left.

* * *

Spider-Man passed by skyscrapers, dodged by trees, and briefly landed on streetlights and rooftops. Where did that blue and white thing go?!

Little did it know that whatever the thing in the sky was, it actually _laughed_ as it flew around in the streets of Manhattan.

* * *

**Eugene: **Yeah, so fight scenes are still not my thing. But hey, I'm improving! Yay me~! And look, there's a cameo in this chapter!

Joe here is the one and only FrivolousThoughts; he's the guy who wrote two superhero-worthy Spider-Man fanfics. One's called "Unnoticeable" (it's a Spider-Man/Avengers crossover with some Marvel characters thrown in) while the other is "Caught in the Web" (again, another crossover, but has Spidey being involved with the girls from Marvel, DC, etc). Since he's such an inspiring writer, I thought I'd give him a cameo as big as Stan the Man. I just hope I did his appearance some justice, because I'm not entirely sure what he acts or looks like, so this is what I came up with based on my observations (dude, thanks for the hair and eye colour info). And since he's a Brit, he's visiting New York in this story. But don't worry, he'll show up again. Besides, he deserves to meet Spider-Man and to be part of Marvel someday! If you get the chance, you should read his stories; they're really worth reading.


	7. Ice Save

The vigilante wasn't sure what he was doing, but he found it hard to catch up to the blue and white blurry thing. He had to shift attention between following the strange phenomenon and avoiding any possible crashes and dead ends at unexpected obstacles, all whilst swinging from web to web. That thing was amazingly fast, but he was sure that he could catch up to it...

The blur leapt around glass windows, jumped on trees, and dove under cars and trucks. That thing was like a totally driving him crazy! No matter how many times Spider-Man tried to follow it, he ended up one step further away.

"Hey, what the- GAH, STOP MOVING ALREADY!" He tried shooting a web at it, but it only came in contact with air.

Huffing in frustration, he leapt up and shot out another string of web to swing on. But to his surprise, the web fluid ran out! Spider-Man peered at the ground below and upon making a realization, he muttered an, "Uh-oh."

"KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed loudly as vertigo pulled him down to the surface. Since he had no webbing, he flailed his arms around, hoping to grab onto something. But alas, he got nothing.

He shut his eyes tightly as gravity tugged him further but opened them again as he found himself landing in something cold, opaque, and slippery.

... _Ice_?

That silent question was confirmed when Spider-Man's body picked up speed and instead of falling down, he found himself on an ice slide. The ice grew and grew like gnarling branches, creating a path as he slid further in the street where he landed. As speed picked up and ice replaced the chilly air, the webcrawler can't help but to alter between screams and whoops every time the ice slide led him to a series of loop-de-loops, ramps, and passageways. It could've led him to anywhere in the city, but he didn't care. He did catch glimpses of people pointing at him, but he was so absorbed into the fear and thrill that he didn't even notice.

A tingling laugh would chime out every once in a while but he couldn't place it. Somehow grateful for the unexpected landing, he decided to enjoy the fearful yet thrilling ride. If he wasn't so twitchy from the whole blur thingy and the low web supply, he would've enjoyed it more. He just wished that the ice slide would eventually stop so that he could land.

..Unfortunately for him, his wish came true... _way too early_.

Just when he was getting through the bridge the ice made over a passing truck, he found himself facing a really high ramp. Up, up, up, the spider went... and then he fell again.

At least the fall was short. He expected to land in hard concrete, but instead, the acrobat ended up in a soft patch of white, fluffy snow.

"Ugh... my head." He muttered to himself as his head spun, making everything blurry. A ring of yellow stars and tiny angel!Spideys indicated that he was dizzy, but it was gone in a few minutes.

Blinking wearily, Spider-Man managed to gain focus of his surroundings, only to find that someone was hovering over him.

It was a teenage boy, possibly about his age, with short wind-tousled hair as white as freshly fallen snow. The strands framed his pale, nearly white, skin and eyes blue as the Arctic Ocean as he stared at the webcrawler curiously. His teal blue cape swirled around in the wind, the inner layer revealing a turquoise fleur-de-lis pattern against a white background, reminiscent of wallpaper. His uniform consisted of form-fitting black pants, white gloves, and a sky-blue long-sleeved shirt with a vertical black stripe in the middle. It also had several belt-like straps on his chest. Thin turquoise strips lined the white collar and the black stripe, and if the vigilante could see it clearly, he could see something dark blue and turquoise underneath, with a thinner black stripe.

Spider-Man also noticed that there was metal on the boy's upper arms, his outer thighs, and most of his lower legs, leaving his dainty feet bare. Sometimes he could see a blue tile-like stone on them, but the rest of it was plain. A metal wristband went all the way to his right elbow and almost covered his entire arm, but left room for the glove-clad hand that held a wooden staff. Mismatched shoulder-pads were also made of metal, but were connected by a brooch with long swirled ends, silver leaves, and a round blue gem. A thin chain also seemed to decorate the cloak and OH MY GOD, WERE THOSE ICE SHARDS ON HIS NECK?! A wreath-like crown even adorned his head, which was made of metal branches and leaves at the front and ice at the back. They were decorated with a few white roses and of course, thin metal chains.

Now, in all of his honesty, the red and blue webslinger had never seen any superheroes in an outfit this ornate, but everything looked so detailed, so intricate compared to the supposingly-simple uniforms that he saw nowadays. He looked more like something out of a fairytale, or a fantasy movie. Spider-Man could barely let out any words, let alone a single sound, but he managed to stutter out a, "Who are you?"

The boy tilted his head at his question but then leaned forward and gently poked his nose with a small 'boop'.

"My name's Jack Frost." He whispered out before he flew away. A snowflake appeared out of nowhere and landed on Spidey's nose but it dissolved too quickly.

"Wait, I-" Spider-Man tried to stop him and let out a hand, but he already disappeared with the wind.

* * *

**Eugene: **Jack's finally here, guys! YAY~! :D And if you could recognize what the ice slide reminds you of, you'll get a cookie! His outfit wasn't my idea though; it was inspired by the pic "Guardian's Ball" by FrozenLaurel in deviantArt, who gave me permission to use it. Her drawings are so detailed; seriously, they're so beautiful!

...And yes, that pun in the title was terrible. Don't mind me. -.-


	8. Lunch Time with Friends

Back at home, Peter refilled his web shooters and dried his costume with a hairdryer, as it was a bit wet from the ice and snow. Aunt May won't be back from work until around 7:00 or 8:00, so at least he didn't have to worry so much about hiding evidence of his *ahem* activities.

As he swirled the hairdryer around the spandex uniform, hot air evaporating wet patches, he cannot stop thinking about how his day had been. First there was a new student, then he stopped crooks and met a fan, but then his webs ran out and the next thing he knew, some floating white-haired kid saved him (if that was even a save). From the way he was dressed... could he be a new superhero or something?

Ok, New York was the territory of most heroes (and baddies; never forget the baddies), but since there were so many of them lately, it's hard to keep track (even if he had to read and memorize the S.H.I.E.L.D guidebook for god-knows-how-long). But just because the guy wears a cape, floats around, and has a staff _doesn_'_t _label him as a hero; he could've been an enemy or something, but he wasn't sure. Still... was he the one who made the ice slide? And if so, why? His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice from the living room.

"Peter! I'm home! Can you please help me with dinner?"

Aunt May must've been home now, and just in time, too; Peter's costume was dry and free from any damp stuff. Quickly shoving it in the depths of his closet, he called back, "Yes, Aunt May! I'll be right down!" before making his way to the kitchen.

And as of his current question... maybe he'll discuss it with the team.

* * *

"-dude! _Why_ would you think The Hunger Games are gory? There's not even a lot of blood in there!"

"But it's gross though! I mean, killing people just so that your district's #1... what's the point?"

"It is rather unethical, you know-"

"Wait, _you_'_re _siding with him?!"

"But how else will they even survive?"

During lunch two days later, Peter could overhear Luke, Sam, and Ava debating from a few inches off as he took a bite of his pasta. Apparently, they were so absorbed at whatever their conversation was about (something about the Hunger Games and the new movie coming up) that he and Danny had to move further away from their usual spots in order to eat in peace.

"How long were they talking like this?" He asked the monk sitting across him.

"Nearly an hour," Danny replied as he ate his spoonful of yogurt before adding, "their words can best a sword, but only in times of need."

Even though he couldn't understand the meaning, somehow, Danny was right. If only the others would cool down a bit. Speaking of which...

"Danny?" Peter tapped his friend's shoulder.

"Hmm?"

The smart teen wasn't sure how to bring up the topic he tried mentioning since yesterday. He _meant_ to that day but they were so occupied by school and training that day that he didn't have a chance. Now would be a good time to do so. "Remember the icy tornado that stopped Whirlwind a few days ago?"

"Yes, it is rather strange... how would ice even affect the strongest of winds?" Danny admitted in confusion as he recalled the fight Peter mentioned.

"I don't know. But I-"

"Hi Peter."

Startled at those words, Peter looked up to find Jack greeting him with a small innocent wave. Baby-blue orbs meeting a collection of brown and green eyes, he pointed at the rest of the group. "Are those your friends?"

At the mention of the word 'friends', Luke, Sam, and Ava ceased their talking and turned around only to find the new student standing right next to them. Danny, too, was intrigued at the unexpected arrival.

Luke was the first to break the budding awkward silence. He blinked and rubbed his eyes before saying, "Hey, you're the new student from earlier, right? The name's Luke."

"I'm Sam." Said teenager also introducing himself.

"Ava." Again, another intro.

"And my name's Danny." The martial artist concluded as he did the same to himself.

Peter cleared his throat as an attempt to change the subject. "Uh, anyways, what brings you here?" He asked as casually as he could.

Jack reached into his bag and pulled out his lunchbox, the same one with the starry cloth. "I know I should've finished my own lunch for once," He chuckled nervously as he untied the ends of the fabric. "but since I'm so full already, I thought I'd share the rest with you guys." The lid of the box was opened and it revealed a thin wooden boat full of little balls smaller than creampuffs. They seemed to be made of some kind of batter and was topped with brown sauce, mayo, and little green and brown bits. It was foreign compared to the ice-cream sandwiches Peter ate last time, but they'd never seen anything like it.

"Wow... it looks so good!" Sam exclaimed while on the verge of drooling. "...What is it?"

"Takoyaki." The new student answered with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But not just any takoyaki."

"...Then what kind is it?" Ava questioned with a raised eyebrow; something was up, she just knew it.

"Russian roulette takoyaki. Most of them are normal ones... but one of them's got a surprise in it." Jack explained before adding, "You gotta try 'em first though. Enjoy~"

Peter, Luke, Ava, Sam, and Danny looked at each other uncertainly, debating on whether they should trust him or not, but since that takoyaki dish looked enticing, they decided to risk it. They each took a toothpick from the wooden boat and fished out one takoyaki to eat. They chewed, they savoured the flavours, and they let the taste flow, but so far-

_BRRRRIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG!_

"Oh no! I'm gonna be late for class!" Jack suddenly cried out as the bell rang, flailing his arms around wildly and slinging his bag on one shoulder. Chanting the words, 'I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!', he dashed off to his next class. And unfortunately for Peter and the gang, they were going to be late, too. Swallowing their piece of takoyaki as fast as they could, they grabbed their books and bags, hoping to make it to class in time.

...As soon as every student left the cafeteria, bits of lunch trays and leftovers were scattered around all over the room as the only evidence of their existence.

* * *

Flash Thompson was lurking around between the cafeteria's long tables, not giving a care to anything in the world right now. Yes, he was aware that classes will start, but he just needed to grab his signature jacket and leave. He spotted the blue, orange, and white garment hanging off a bench and made a quick grab for it. He thought of taking off to the hallway but then spotted an open lunchbox in the middle of a table.

Inside the lunchbox was a small round thing. He wasn't sure what that small round thing was but it looked delicious..

"Oh, what the heck! I'll just eat it!" Thinking that the tasty little ball was free for his taking, he popped it in his mouth. Just when he was done swallowing it, however, something hot and burning pierced his stomach...


	9. Dead or Poisoned?

It was math time and Peter was doing his best to solve a math problem written for the class on the whiteboard. The pencil wove its way into the paper with lines and numbers, with arrows and little scribbles in between. The takoyaki taste lingered in his mouth, the fluffy non-greasy texture and hints of octopus, brown sauce, and mayo being harmonized together. Jack's takoyaki was surprisingly delicious, although there was one problem...

Peter raised up his hand and asked the teacher, "May I please go to the washroom?"

The math teacher looked up from the board and let out a quiet sigh. "Alright, but you would have to do it quickly."

He said a silent 'thanks' before leaving the classroom and heading towards the washroom to.. relieve himself. Man, that takoyaki was filling, and combined with his own lunch, he thought he would explode. Oh well, at least he felt better now.

..Ok, enough with the bathroom talk.

Peter was on his way back to the classroom when he passed by the cafeteria. It was really messy, as if an army lived there. Lunch trays were still full of leftovers, utensils and napkins scattered around, and stains covered everything. Gross. None of the mess was cleaned up by Stan the Janitor or the cafeteria staff so far, so cleaning up the entire place must've been a hassle. He shook his head; he'd seen worse back when the Frightful Four (minus the Trapster) trashed the school. He was about to head back to math class when he heard a loud moan. A really loud, mournful moan. Curious, Peter made his way through the wedged cafeteria tables to find the source. A tuft of spiked blond hair stood out from under a bench and he pushed it away to see... FLASH?!

Yes, Flash. Flash Thompson of all people. But why was he here?

Was he skipping class or something? Probably not, but as far as Peter knew, Flash would rather attend class and die of boredom rather than _actually_ skipping. But what was he doing here, lying down on the sticky floor? He took closer observation and was horrified when he noticed that the football star was violently twitching and screaming loud, mournful wails. His jacket was off and his white t-shirt had various food stains that were so dark that it almost looked like dried blood...

"Flash! C'mon man, wake up! Flashhh!" Peter kept calling out as he shook Flash's shoulders, but he only gurgled out more groans, each one more pained than the last.

'_Was Flash_... _dying_?' He asked himself in a moment of confusion. If the football star/sorta-bully was in pain like that, then..

_**A funeral was taking place in a graveyard**_**, **_**with a cluster of students and teachers glancing mournfully at the coffin**_**, **_**which contained Flash**_**'**_**s body with the stained shirt**_**. **_**A man wearing black clothing was saying blank**_**, **_**solemn words as the coffin was being lowered down to where a tombstone marked its place**_**. **_**A few sniffles and sobs were heard**_**, **_**but somewhere among the trees**_**, **_**Peter just stood there at the very back**_**, **_**sadly reminding him too much of Uncle Ben**_**'**_**s own funeral**_**...**

But then he realized, '_No_! _That_'_s impossible_! _He would_'_ve been targeted by Doctor Doom or something_!' So at least he wasn't dead. '_Unless_..'

Then Peter spotted a sickly brown dot at the corner of Flash's lips. Tinged with a hint of green, red, and yellow, it gleamed brightly despite the dim light. What was even weirder, however, was the _smell_ that came out of it. It was spicy and garlicky... did Flash got bad breath again? That seemed unlikely though, as it came from _near_ the mouth and not _inside_ the mouth. But if a stain was near his lip, then maybe he ate something poisonous?

_**Flash was strutting around in the halls whilst wearing a Snow White dress**_**, **_**red bow and all. He was singing a song off**_**-**_**key yet birds and other animals flocked around him because he**_**'**_**s just so fabulous. Finding a shiny red apple sitting on a cafeteria table**_**, **_**he shined it with his skirt and took a bite**_**... **_**only to drop dead to the floor with the apple**_**'**_**s juices on his mouth**_**, **_**the bitten apple landing right next to him**_**.**

Peter was thinking about all this when another object caught his eye. It was Jack's lunchbox, shrouded in the starry blue and purple cloth. Takoyaki crumbs were the only things left on the inside, as well as droplets of mayonnaise and brown sauce near the bottom. He looked at Flash, then at the lunchbox, then at Flash again. If he could create a math problem similar to the ones in math class just moments ago, then maybe it would go like:

_**Chibi**_**!**_**Spidey**_**, **_**who wore a graduation cap and robes**_**, **_**wrote an equation on the chalkboard next to him**_**, **_**along with some doodles. It said:**_

**Flash + Lip stain (brown **_**s **_**\+ green**_** i **_**\+ red **_**f**_**) + Jack's lunchbox + Takoyaki bits =** **...**

"_Oh my gosh_! _Flash ate the surprise takoyaki_!"

* * *

**Eugene: **OMG, I'm sorry this chapter took me so long! T_T I actually wrote something more... grotesque than this, but I figured that it wouldn't work out for the story so I had to start over and write up a new one. And to those of you who don't know what Russian Roulette takoyaki is, it's basically a group of normal takoyaki together... but there's a fake one in there. An unlucky person would end up with something like jalapeños or wasabi in it while everyone else got the normal ones. So basically, Peter and the others got the normal takoyaki, but none of them ate the 6th one because lunch was over, and Flash somehow found the fake one. *facepalm*

And btw, TheOnyxDragon12, if you're reading this, the answer was jalapeño puree, gochujang (spicy Korean pepper paste), minced garlic, and wasabi.


	10. Not Just The Wind

_Tick_-_tock_-_tick_-_tock_-_tick_-_tock_...

Peter kept staring at the clock's hands for who-the-hell-knows; after taking Flash to the nurse's office (and hoping that she won't panic), he planned to confront Jack about the surprise takoyaki. He wasn't sure if it was lethal or anything, but it better be harmless. But his last class, which was Chemistry, was becoming agonizingly painful. At least he got chemical formulas and isotopes to distract himself, something he was growing accustomed to since he became the Ultimate Spider-Man.

Now where did he leave his pencil...?

* * *

Sometime later, class was finally over. Everybody rushed out of the school doors, escaping from the confined life inside, but Peter decided to stay a bit longer before going over to S.H.I.E.L.D for training. He needed to find a certain brown-haired, blue-eyed teenager...

"Jack!" He called out amongst the crowd of fleeing students. Why was it so crowded today? "JAAACK! JA- oh!" He detected said person near the cafeteria, whose arms were tightly clutching the rectangular lunch box, the star-patterned cloth wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl. Light blue eyes widened in surprise and he kept gazing at anywhere but Peter.

"Jack..." Peter had to pause for a moment, as if to phrase his question carefully. "About that Russian Roulette takoyaki-"

"Yes?" Jack piped up, his voice a bit higher than it usually was. Then he cleared his throat and tried again, his voice going back to normal. "What about it?"

"Uhh, I was just wondering; what was in that 'surprise' takoyaki?" Peter asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Hm, let's see," The new student placed his lunchbox down near one of the lockers. He pondered on that question for a moment before counting down with his fingers. "I think it was jalapeño puree, garlic, wasabi, and this red paste I found; something called gochujang... wait, please tell me _you_ didn't eat it!" Jack said that last part in worry and panic, almost grabbing his shirt in the process. "They weren't meant to kill you, I swear!" He babbled.

But Peter wasn't angry or anything; he was only curious. "Relax, Jack, I ended up with a normal one. But somebody else ate it."

"Oh yeah, who?"

There was a tense pause in the air before the webswinging teenager muttered, "Flash."

Jack's face was blank at first, trying to remember who Peter was referring to, but then he gasped. "Oh no! He must've ate the last piece after I accidently left my lunchbox! Is he ok?"

"I think so. He was with the school nurse but I think he's better now." Peter informed him. "Look, your lunches are actually really good," He said this in pure honesty before adding with a small smirk. "but next time, just try to make them less deadly."

At this, Jack let out a small laugh in relief. "Phew! For a minute there, I thought you were gonna kick my butt. But since you forgive me and stuff, I guess I can relax now." He said with a grin, his attitude becoming more upbeat. Then he retrieved his lunch box from the floor and quickly tied the cloth around it. "Well, I gotta go now, Peter. Do you wanna hang out sometime?"

As much as Peter had bad guys and criminals to stop, he felt that things were going crazy since the battle with Dracula on Halloween. Maybe he needed a break... "Sure, I guess." He shrugged; he wasn't sure when but hopefully they'll do something without some dude ruining the fun.

"Awesome! Ok, bye~" The smart teen was about to say goodbye back but Jack Overland already disappeared, his voice lingering along with the wind...

* * *

"Leap...! Leap! ...Le leap! Leap! Leap~!"

Batroc the Leaper sang in a cheery French accent as he jumped from building to building, carrying bulging bags in his hands; he managed to rob a few jewellery stores, hack into a few online bank accounts, and fooled a few lowly street thugs and stole their guns and knives. And the best part? There were no signs of Spider-Man and his foolish little team. Or the Avengers. Or S.H.I.E.L.D. All in all, life was good~

A chilly breeze whistled in the air. Batroc shivered as he leapt; he was aware that the weather will be colder, but he didn't expect it to be _this _bad. A few coats of frost here, a slight chill here, but otherwise, he was ok. He just wished he could steal a warm winter coat and a scarf, but he still had all the jewellery, weapons, and money..

"_Bonjour_, _ma petite grenouille_~"

"_Quoi_-"

SPLAT! Went the purple and yellow criminal. Instead of landing perfectly as expected, he lost his footing and fell right on his butt. He bet that it will end up red and throbbing because _merde_, it really hurts. He wasn't sure if somebody was greeting him or insulting him, or if he even knew _who _said it. After murmuring a few curses, he looked around for an unusual phenomenon that caused his horrific landing. Everything seemed normal here in the roof, but then he felt something cold, wet, and slippery...

...

...

_Ice_?

Him, the magnificent Batroc the Leaper, fell on ice?! "Ha! No matter, I'll just jump over to a different spot!" He said in an over-confident matter, as if he just finished completing a Rubik's Cube. Retrieving his stolen goods, which landed safely near the ice patch, he moved over to an unaffected spot on the rooftop, he leapt higher than he had ever leapt before. Higher than a mountain, higher than the tallest skyscraper, higher than-

...But then all of a sudden, he found himself dropping down like a fly. AND IN A SNOWSTORM?!

Yes, for reasons unknown, there was a snowstorm going on as he fell down, down, down. Batroc could practically hear the wind _screaming_ at him, as if it was jeering at his failures. Snow pelted on his paper-thin costume and his face, briefly touching every surface of his body like the slightest of fingertips. The bags full of jewellery, money, and weapons also dropped down with him, but were left forgotten. As vertigo forced him down, fading his cries, a strange numb feeling started to grow from the toes to his feet, from the knees to his thighs, and it was just so cold-

"_Il est froid_! _Il est froid_! _Pourquoooiiiiiii_!" Yelled Batroc the Leaper, arrogance quickly dissolving into fear. He cannot understand what was happening to him, let alone noticing that it wasn't actually snowing from where he was falling; the skies were clear and cloudy.

Blood turning cold as he felt something crawling on his legs, he peeked from tightly-shut eyes only to find ice growing on his legs! His eyes widened in terror.

"_Non_... _non_.. _NONNNNNNN_!"

Sometime later, the New York City Police invaded the same street where Batroc was last seen. They were stunned to see the said criminal lying on the hard ground twitching and shivering all over the place. Ice and frost encrusted areas of his uniform, as well as his lower legs. Even his moustache looked like crooked icicles, stiff and frozen. As much as they wanted to investigate the source of his condition, the police figured that it would be best to solve this after sending him to a jail cell. Too cold to even fight back or complain, they just cuffed his hands, packed him off in a police car, and drove away.

Somewhere in his semi-conscious mind, Batroc the Leaper wasn't sure if it was real or a hallucination, but he saw a quick blur of white and heard what sounded like an "_Au revoir_~".

* * *

Translations:

_Bonjour_, _ma petite grenouille_~ - Hello, my little frog~ (French; usually, the British would call French people "frogs" though o.o)

_Quoi_ \- What (French)

_Merde_ \- Shit

_Il est froid_! _Il est froid_! _Pourquoooiiiiiii_! - It is cold! It is cold! Whyyyyyyy! (French)

_Non _\- No (French)

_Au revoir_~ - Goodbye~ (French)


	11. Beyond the Big Apple

In the Northern Hemisphere of the planet called Earth, autumn was still lingering. Beneath those forests of fiery red and golden yellows, were the hints of winter. Snow dusted the mountain tops, chilly blows puffed the air, and frost coated and caressed everything in sight. The flaming leaves were still attached to the deciduous trees while needles were intact in their coniferous counterparts. The skies would vary from powdery blue with the piercing rays of the sun to the inkiest blacks and murkiest grays, obscured by wispy clouds. The temperature gradually dropped lower and lower, and desire for warmth increased. As Jon Snow would've said, winter is coming.*

But winter wasn't the only thing that gradually marked its arrival in autumn's presence; somebody appeared alongside it.

..Don't believe me? Then take a look at what was going on beyond the Big Apple...

* * *

**-**_**Busan**_**, **_**South Korea**_**-**

The ever-consuming flames licked and flickered around in the gradually dissolving house. A girl, possibly around middle school-age, was frightened and she whimpered every time a small burst of fire attacked her. Her clothes didn't burn but they were itchy and uncomfortable. Tiny streams of salty tears stained her cheeks, overheated by the fire. It didn't help that her eyes stung from the smoke and ashes, making it hard to see. Everybody else from her family managed to escape but why her? Why didn't she make it out in time, only to be trapped? And how did the house even end up on fire? Someone must've used a lighter and made it lit. Or maybe there was an accident in the kitchen...? If the house was in flames because of the latter, it would be unfortunate because she was looking forward to her mom's _kimchi jeon_ for dinner...

A pillar of wood suddenly cracked and it fell down, landing straight towards the girl. With a startled scream, she backed away and tried to find an exit. But most of the doors were devoured by the menacing flames and other possibilities for escape were blocked by neighbouring fires that scorch and threaten to burn those who escaped the fiery prison.

"_Annyeong_... _I_'_ll help you get out. Just follow my voice_..."

The girl looked around, startled at the sudden voice calling her. As she didn't know English very well, she wasn't sure what it was saying... maybe it was trying to help her? Nevertheless, she tried to figure out where the person was, despite the smoke and ashes affecting her once-clear vision. Her eyes stung so she slowly shuffled around, dodging whatever damaged areas the fire caused. The voice kept crooning words to her in English, sometimes with a hint of Korean, encouraging her to overcome her fear for a moment. Obviously, it wasn't easy but she just wanted a way out-

"_Almost there_! _Just find the door without the flames_..."

Without.. flames? She groped around for a door, only to find that there were only _burnt_ doors or entrances. Most of them were white hot, black and crumbling, or engulfed in flaming wisps of death. How could she find one that's-

Her fingers scraped on what felt like stone, plaster, or splintered wood. The girl couldn't tell what material was it, but it formed a huge hole in the wall..

"_That_'_s it_! _You found it_!" The voice cheered. "_Now just grab onto me and I_'_ll carry you down_..."

Carry.. her?

All of a sudden, she felt slightly arms wrapped around her waist, cool and soothing on her overheated skin. Then there was the sensation of being lifted up and hovering down, down, down. The girl huddled closer to what she thought was a chest. _A male chest_. She very nearly blushed at the thought. Still, the mystery saviour carried her to the ground and the girl felt something brief but cold at the tip of her nose. It was like somebody pinched her nose, or maybe poked it? No, wasn't it being nipped?

She heard familiar voice calling out her name and the girl's eyes finally opened after being away from the fire and smoke. She saw her parents, black from the fire, and they ran towards her and gave her a hug.

Somewhere in the sky, the girl's saviour watched everything before it vanished...

**-**_**Redwater**_**, **_**Alberta**_**, **_**Canada**_**-**

In this relatively small town not far from Edmonton, the capital city of Alberta, there was a thief. Yes, an average money-stealing thief, complete with a bag and a ski mask with holes. But this thief got big dreams. Big sinister dreams, that is. He planned to leave Redwater and seek for bigger goods in Edmonton, then Calgary, then all of Alberta... maybe even Canada and the rest of the world. Who knows? If he was _extremely_ lucky, maybe he could even beat the Sinister Six, Doctor Doom, Magneto, or even Galactus. Slinging his bag full of stolen money from banks and wallets on his shoulder, he scanned the cold, dry landscape dotted with several houses; if he could just find the highway and hop on an unsuspecting car or truck, then he might reach Edmonton...

A blast of a chilly wind assaulted his senses, and he heard a laugh somewhere, chiming like bells as he wrapped his coat around his body tighter, as if it was meant to keep him warm. "GAH! Stupid wind.." The thief grumbled between chattering teeth.

"_Hi there_! _Wanna play with me_~?" A voice greeted him out of nowhere. It sounded innocent enough, like a child, but the thief had a bad feeling about the words it said...

_SPLAT_! Something cold and soft landed smack-dab on the face. White bits slid off from his cheeks and the contrast between the fading warmth of his face and the frigidness of the unknown substance was torturous.

"Ok! Who threw that?!" Already annoyed at the unexpected attack, the thief better figure out the culprit fast, even if he had to risk his life for the bag of money. As if on cue, the wind stopped blowing on him. But as a result, everything went dead quiet. Nobody replied, nobody screamed, nobody dared to move... was there even a _person_ in this town other than him?!

"_I did_! _But I bet you can_'_t find me_!" Hey! It was that voice again! Rather than the teasing voice it used earlier, the voice was actually mocking him. Daring him, even. To him, this was getting out of hand.

The thief growled and pulled out a switchblade from his jeans pocket, the dull silver blade brandishing out from its sheath as he pressed the button. He scanned the open clearing in front of him, which was vast as the prairies, and then he observed the neighbourhoods further away from behind. He even checked the open road on his left, which was empty save for the occasional car. Where did that punk go...?

"_BOMBS AWAY_~!"

"Wha-"

And then it happened; snowballs were flying in from different directions, all aiming at him. Like bullets or cannonballs, they hit their target perfectly, pelting him with icy accuracy and unavoidable speed. The thief landed on the ground, flat as a pancake, while the snowballs continued to cover his body into a mound as the pile expanded faster and faster. Every time he tried to rise up, he ended up being hit by a random snowball again, whether by the head or in the vital regions. He wasn't even sure where his loot was, but they probably got lost in the snow somewhere. They just kept coming and coming, never stopping until he was completely buried. It never seemed to end..

Sometime later, the police found the snowbound thief in that mysterious pile of snow near the road, his feet sticking out. Snow doesn't come until later in the month, but they decided not to question it. They just handcuffed him and escorted him to jail, not aware of the snowflakes swirling around in the sky...

* * *

*Yeah, it's that Jon Snow reference from Game of Thrones. I know you guys done it. -.-

Translations:

_Annyeong_ \- Hello (Korean; a more formal way to say it, as in for grown-ups and family members, is _Annyeonghaseyo. Annyeong_ is also an informal way of saying 'Goodbye'.)

**Eugene: **So this chapter actually contains two scenes from outside of New York since it involved encounters similar to the ones Spidey and Batroc had, as well as that robber from the first chapter. It's more of a filler chapter than anything, but it'll be essential for later ones (you'll see why). I wish I could write more for different countries, but I got writer's block so that's all I got so far. Oh yeah, _kimchi jeon_ is a Korean pancake-like or thin pizza-like dish made with flour batter and kimchi (a fermented Korean side dish, usually baechu kimchi/napa cabbage kimchi), but vegetables and/or ground meat (usually pork) could be added. You should try it some time; it's so delicious... *drools*


	12. Cockroach Invasion!

"Remind me again how did _this_ happen?" Spidey asked his teammates as they ran (or in his and Nova's case, swung or flew) in and out of the halls of the Tri-Carrier. They were scrambling on each other's paths as they fled from this giant mass of... whatever black and wriggly things they were running away from. Gross.

"Didn't you remember? Some S.H.I.E.L.D scientist experimented on these cockroaches he found the other day and the next thing we knew, we got mutant roaches invading the Tri-Carrier." White Tiger explained to him the best she could as she ran with feline grace.

"Yeah, and my parents sure gave him a field day when they found out." Power Man added, recalling a couple minutes ago when he saw his mom and dad, now working in S.H.I.E.L.D's labs, yelling at the poor guy before the cockroaches somehow increased in number and took over the place.

"Sooo~ they just keep multiplying or something?" Spider-Man guessed with a quirked eyebrow behind blank lenses.

"Looks like-" Nova turned around for a moment to see if they got away from the roaches before groaning, "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"

"What? What is it?"

"...They just grew bigger."

Peter slowly turned around to make sure Sam wasn't lying, and to be honest, he was right. What used to be a swarm of tiny cockroaches now changed into a swarm of _huge_ cockroaches. Not exactly huge, as they were currently the size of dinner plates, but as far as most insects go, that's pretty big.

"Do not underestimate their size; they may be more powerful or vulnerable than they seem." Iron Fist advised with an amazing amount of calmness, though he was also kind of afraid of the cockroaches behind him. "And besides, never judge a book by its cover."

"You think?" Nova shot back. Then he suddenly got a devious look on his face and grabbed the vigilante just when he was about to shoot another web strand to swing on.

"What the- hey Bucket-head, put me down, will you?!" Spider-Man tried to squirm his way out of the Nova Corps member's grip while flailing his arms and kicking the air. "What the heck are you even doing?"

"Spiders eat bugs, right?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Aren't cockroaches bugs?"

"...Yeah?"

Power Man, Iron Fist, and White Tiger gave Nova weird looks, trying to guess what the human rocket was implying.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...OH C'MON! JUST BECAUSE SPIDERS EAT INSECTS DOESN'T MEAN I EAT THEM! _**ESPECIALLY COCKROACHES**_!" Peter ended up yelling at him louder than he should have. But seriously, that was some messed-up logic here. I mean, where did Sam even learn that stuff?!

_**There was a stack of lined paper on a desk**_**, **_**all aligned to look like a flip book**_**. **_**Sam was drawn in the front page**_**, **_**mindlessly bored from the insect book he was reading**_**. **_**As soon as the papers were flipped**_**, **_**the drawing of Sam moved**_**, **_**absentmindedly skimming through the pages**_**, **_**but then **__**he found a picture of a tarantula feasting on a cockroach**_**. **_**Then**_**, **_**a drawing of chibi**_**!**_**Spidey with a web popped up on his thought**_**-**_**bubble and he was eating the trapped roach straight from the web**_**, **_**drooling all over the place as he ate**_**.**

"But you're part spider; shouldn't you also eat like one?" It took all of Sam's willpower not to smirk at his reaction, but the Nova Corps member had a feeling that his idea wouldn't work anyway.

The vigilante just groaned. Facing the now-enlarged cockroaches, he just created a few webs, forming a sturdy, sticky wall that prevented them from going any further. The roaches angrily waved their stubby legs and antennas at the obstacle blocking their way. "Ok, that should hold them for now. At least until we figure out how to get rid of them.. _that doesn_'_t involve eating them_." Spider-Man said that last part with a glare meant for Nova.

Then all of a sudden, there was a loud scream echoing in the hallway. A seventeen-year-old girl with pale skin and Asian features was fleeing for her life as a group of mutant cockroaches, slightly bigger than the last, chased after her. She kept screaming and flailing her arms around like crazy. A silvery-gray baseball cap with a red star and a black 'L' obscured her straight, shoulder-length black hair and her orange Camp Half Blood shirt, jeans, and navy blue Converse were a bit rumpled up, probably from dealing with those bugs.

The red-and-blue vigilante shot out a web-line and yanked the girl into what looked like a janitor's closet, which the team was now hiding in. Peter immediately closed the door while Sam glowed with his Nova Force and Danny lit up the small space with his chi-infused fist for light.

"Are you ok?" Spider-Man asked the girl in concern.

The female panted as quietly as she could, despite her exhaustion. "Yeah, I'm fine." She replied with a quick nod. "What are those things, anyway?" She asked.

"Cockroaches; not sure what happened to them, but they must've ended up mutated or somethin'." Luke told her while peeking out from the vents. So far, there was nothing out there.

"Who are you, anyway? Why were you even in the Tri-Carrier?" Ava started to question the girl with the baseball cap.

"I'm Lucie. And for your information, I was visiting my uncle and aunt." She informed them while crossing her arms. Her cheeks were puffed up and she let out a stream of air.

"They work for S.H.I.E.L.D?"

"Uh-huh; they usually do office work at the headquarters in D.C., but they sometimes go on missions. I'm not sure where they are though..." The girl, Lucie, peered out of the closet with wary dark brown eyes. So far, she couldn't see any roaches blocking the way. "They're probably trying to get rid of them right now."

The cockroaches were still crawling around outside, the web walls must've broken down. So Spidey and the team, along with Lucie, had to stay inside for a couple more minutes until it's clear. Even Sam and Danny reduced the glow in their bodies/fists so that they wouldn't be spotted, but could still see each other somewhat.

"So... shouldn't they be gone by now or what?" Nova was the first to shatter the silence. He has gotten bored from staying still and he's starting to crave for action. But then his body started to shiver instead of being twitchy, goose bumps appearing on uniform-obscured skin. "A-And w-wh-why is i-it-it so c-cold in here?!"

Spider-Man was confused at this, until he felt a strange chill in the air. Was the air conditioner broken or something? Or did somebody leave the window open? Spandex doesn't exactly keep him warm, so he just snatched up rags and a paper towel roll and wrapped himself in a couple long sheets like a mummy. The other heroes, as well as Lucie, did the same, since they didn't have coats or blankets. What was even stranger, however, was the opaque white streams of fog streaming around them, and a thick sheet of frost that suddenly appeared, distorting the view outside the closet.

"Uhh.. what just happened?" Lucie cannot help but to ask, despite the frigid atmosphere.

"I'm not sure... I should go check." Iron Fist did his best to stand up and wipe away the icy coating on the door, but every time a mark was made, the frost would crawl back and cover up the surface again no matter how hard he tried. "Why isn't the frost going away? It keeps growing every time I get rid of it." Bewilderment was etched into his features; what was going on here?

"What? Seriously?" Power Man stood up to try out the same thing, ignoring the cold for a moment. With added heat and pressure, he stubbornly rubbed the frost away a few times, only to come back when it shouldn't. "Sweet Christmas! Why can't it come off?!" He too was confused at what he just saw.

All of a sudden, there were tiny, but audibly loud noises coming from the halls. Then a sound reminiscent of clinking glasses, chandelier crystals clashing, and snow crunching filled the air...

With shaky blue hands, Spidey, his teammates, and Lucie, rushed to open the closet door and get out of the chilly room to investigate. To their surprise, it was also cold in here, though not as severe as they thought, and a strange, piercing silence muted the icy symphony they heard moments ago. And if that wasn't enough, the mutant roaches they once fought and ran away from were frozen in clumps of ice, or would be entrapped and impaled by long, thin ice crystals that sprouted from the metal floor.

"Woah... how did they ended up like this?" Peter can't help but to say out loud. Do cockroaches actually die from subzero temperatures? His scientific mind couldn't make any sense of what he just saw at the moment.

No one else bothered to formulate a hypothetical answer, but it seemed like they don't have to, as White Tiger spotted something. "Guys, over there! I see someone!" She pointed at what looked like a _person_ in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by ice-encrusted cockroach corpses. Spider-Man felt that same umfamiliar chill coursing through his body and there was a gut-clenching feeling in his stomach.

...They were not alone.

* * *

**Eugene: **So I'm still alive; it was not easy coming up with this chapter though, because every time I try to write, my ideas tend to run out. But then I remembered a review TheOnyxDragon12 sent for my other Ultimate Spider-Man fanfic, Heroes vs. Cockroach, something about mutant cockroaches taking over the Tri-Carrier... so I ended up with this. And if you watched episode 44, Luke's reunited with his parents now at the end of the episode and they all reside under S.H.I.E.L.D's care for the time being; that's why I mentioned them, in case any of you are confused or anything. They should be around a bit more in later chapters, so expect that.

Oh! We also have another guest appearance today! Lucie here is actually greypilgrim127 (though Lucie isn't her actual name.. but hey, it's her idea *shrugs*). She's the amazing person who wrote one of my favourite Avengers stories, "Getting Along". It may be your typical collection of drabbles full of Avengers shenanigans, but her sense of humour and randomness definately shone through. I'm not sure of her actual personality either.. but I did the best I could (again, thanks for the additional info). Besides, she's one of those authors full of potential for her future writing, so give her stories a shot!


End file.
